Monument record MDO20895 - Fordington Down: settlement

A Roman settlement comprising enclosures, trackways and fragments of a field system, is visible as earthworks and cropmarks on aerial photographs.

SY 667907. A Romano-British settlement associated with two trackways, low mounds and traces of a field system was levelled by ploughing on the west slope of Fordington Down in 1956. An oblique air photograph revealed the former condition of the earthworks, and the RCHM produced a plan of the site, after ploughing, partly from the soil marks. A considerable quantity of pottery and other objects, including fragments of earthenware tile were found; Samian fragments and dark burnished ware, including some amphora fragments, were also represented and implied 1st/or 2nd century activity. The bulk of the datable meterial, however, was of the 3rd-4th century and included flanged bowls and both principal varieties of 'New Forest' ware - i.e. the red-coated imitation Samian and metallic-lustred forms.

A fine bronze brooch and a bronze armlet with slightly grooved terminals (almost certainly from a burial) also found on the site were given to Dorset County Museum (Acc No. 1957. 17 1-2). Farrar suggested that this site was perhaps distinct from the settlement to the south-west of Square Coppice discovered in 1950-1 (see SY 69 SE 39). <1>

SY 667907. Listed as Romano-British settlement by RCHM. <2>

A settlement comprising enclosures, trackways and fragments of a field system, is visible as earthworks and cropmarks on aerial photographs. It was levelled by ploughing in 1956 when field walking recovered quantities of Roman material. It is probable that some of the field boundaries are of later medieval origin. <3-5>

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1957, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1956, 80-1 (Serial). SDO56.

<1.1> Wheeler, R E M, 1943, Maiden Castle, Dorset, 36 Plate LXX of oblique air photo taken by Maj Allen 1937 (Monograph). SDO17278.

<1.2> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 5087-88 (Aerial Photograph). SDO20348.

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 494, 624 (Monograph). SDO150.

<3> XXXX, NMR SY6690/1, SY6691/2 (ACA 7090/554-5) (Aerial Photograph). SDO10967.

<4> 12-APR-1983, NMR SY6690/14, 16 (2134/0177-8) (Aerial Photograph). SDO10966.

<5> Royal Air Force, 22-JAN-1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2431 4258-61 (Aerial Photograph). SDO10882.

<6> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BB74/04525A (Index). SDO14738.

BROOCH FROM THE SETTLEMENT AT FORDINGTON DOWN

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 453508 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Dec 9 2023 6:27AM